The luxury rums shaking up the spirits world

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Luxury rum’s continued skyward surge means I’ve got three to shout about. And I will shout, because you need to hear more from this part of the spirits world.

Among the more intriguing is a rum from Cuban distillery Havana Club. Havana Club has a history of excellent aged rums - sipping a San Cristobel de la Habana while reclined on a roof top bar in Havana is still a life highlight. But it always seemed the distillery released these stunners without necessarily imagining they might be collectible - trying to get hold of the San Cristobel now for example, requires a bit of a hunt and an investment.

In 2016 the distillery made a more pointed and regular commitment to the luxury expressions with its annual Tributo series. The launch fanfare should’ve emphasised the value of these limited-edition rums, particularly since the Tributo 2016 was universally celebrated, and yet the distillery itself admits it doesn’t have a drop left. It seems Havana Club is true to the ideals that great rum is made to be drunk.

With that in mind, it’ll be worth picking up the Havana Club Tributo 2018 (£345, Whisky Exchange) quickly, since only a few remain from its launch earlier in the year.

Havana Club Tributo 2018 has enjoyed a finish in an Islay whisky cask which adds a whiff of smoke to the spirit

The Havana Club maestros roneros, the talented team who watch over the rums, created the Tributo series to draw attention to specific elements of the production process, and in this third incarnation they focus on the influence of wood.

While aging is a crucial component in rum’s flavour profile, much of the conversation tends to revolve around American Oak, previously used for bourbon maturation and commonplace in the rum industry. In the Tributo 2018 though, the rum has enjoyed a finish in an Islay whisky cask and this adds a spectacular dimension to the spirit.

My first reaction to such an endeavour was reservation - the lighter, fruitier style of rum that hails from Havana Club always stay true to a sugar sweetness at the heart of the spirit, and my fear was an Islay whisky could snuff this out. But when I considered the cigar culture of the country, the idea of adding a whiff of smoke proved entirely logical, and particularly pertinent when considering some of the existing notes of tobacco on the Havana Club aged rums.

And so the experiment works: this is a brilliant rum. The success is largely down to the subtlety of the smoke, in fact it’s mostly apparent in the finish, so in no way tramples over the elements of the rum I enjoy.

The carefully matured spirit delivers enhanced rich, spicy and sweet notes, retains that emblematic light and tropical fruit nature, with the added joy of the smoke. A wise investment, and there’ll be another Tributo release to look out for early next year.

Moving to Jamaica where there have been two notable rum releases in the tail end of the year. The first to consider is Hampden Estate Overproof, (£79, Whisky Exchange).

Only 4,000 bottles of Appleton Estate 30 Year Old Jamaica rum will be released in December, making it a worthwhile investment

Produced at one of the oldest sugar estates in Jamaica, this collaboration between Hampden Estate and legendary Italian bottler Velier delivers a spirit for true rum aficionados.

Rum enthusiasts will need no introduction to Hampden - it’s one of the iconic distilleries the geeks rightly seek out - but despite a rich history of producing great rums for others, this is the first aged rum to come directly from the distillery.

At 60%abv it’s a powerful spirit, but surprisingly on the nose there are soft scents of berries and even pineapple, meanwhile the ginger and vanilla spice from the maturation in American oak is perfectly integrated on the palate. Considering what the rum represents, the price is remarkably low, making it an easy decision to add it to a quality collection.

Jamaican neighbour Appleton, meanwhile, brings the Appleton 30 Year Old back to shelves in December (£399, again at whiskyexchange.com). One to excite Appleton fans, this revival of a cult classic will see only 4,000 bottles released and makes for another worthwhile investment.

The youngest rum in the bottle is 30 years old and the blend includes a 50-year-old, combining to deliver a rich, deep, spicy spirit, full of ginger, orange zest and oak, but beautifully countered by the sweet core of the distillate. Appleton is famed for its pot stills and the outstanding achievements of master blender Joy Spence, one of the stars of the rum world.

Tom Sandham is an award-winning spirits expert and the current IWSC Spirits Communicator of the Year. He is the co-founder of the Thinking Drinkers who are currently performing their critically acclaimed drinks tasting shows in theatres around the UK. Details on thinkingdrinkers.com